The history of “Virginia’s Grand Motion Picture Palace,” the Byrd Theatre, belongs to every movie goer who has graced her gilt doors and sat on the edge of a springy seat awaiting the rise of the mighty Wurlitzer. Seeing a show at the Byrd is now cemented in the Richmond experience as a beloved piece of the city’s authentic soul. But it’s a tradition that nearly didn’t survive.

Miracle on Cary Street​ is Duane K. Nelson’s behind-the-scenes account of restoring the Byrd in the 1980s to her original 1928 luster with the help of Richmond A-listers, theater front-liners, and a host of movie aficionados. Thanks to their hard work, vision, and sweat equity, seeing a show at the Byrd, and paying only a few dollars to do so, has been a treasured experience since the Byrd reopened her doors in 1984.